SHAFAQNA – The first footage of Hurricane Irma making landfall on the Caribbean islands on Wednesday shows the sheer extent of the damage caused. The category 5 storm has already hit Barbuda, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin.

Described as the most powerful storm recorded over the Atlantic Ocean, the French weather office reported winds of 150mph (244kph) on St Barts before its weather-monitoring equipment was destroyed by the hurricane.

Irma is now headed to Anguilla Island, the British Virgin Islands and east Puerto Rico. It’s expected to then reach Haiti and Florida.

A state of emergency has been declared in Florida, with Governor Rick Scott saying Irma posed “a severe threat to the entire state.”

Video footage shared on social media captures Irma’s strength and the extent of the damage it has already waged in the Caribbean.